Elves is a thread devoted to competitive elf decks. Currently GB is the most popular, but with Shadowmoor, GW has opened up significantly. Mono G is still played, but only by newer players and budget seekers (not the cheapest deck to build), so it will not be focused upon here in Decks to Beat.

Currently elves revolves around a lord and token nature backed by heavy beaters and removal spells, giving it a nature of a consistent aggro feel that gets stronger the later on. The cards, while self supportive, have an added bonus of tribal and even color synergy that really makes the deck shine.[/sblock][/indent][/indent]

()()() - Wilt-Leaf Liege : All GW builds should run this as it gives a huge boost to your army, stands alone as a 4/4 for 4cc, and even has an anti-discard feature built in. AND it's and elf! Even non-GW variants should consider it. (GW)

Optional

- Birds of Paradise : If you need more mana accel, a few of these can help. Has the benefit of color fixing and flying if pumped but will have limited use to most decks. (GW)

() - Rhys the Redeemed : a decent 1cc for 1/1 that has the advantage of being green and white. Favorable in token builds, but the abilities are a bit costly and may not be tempo friendly enough to validate him. (GW)

()() - Kitchen Finks : Not an elf, but has the benefit of being green and white while also giving you a life and a decent beater/2 time chump blocker. You may not have room for this, but consider it, particularly if you have a heavy RDW meta. (GW)

()()()()() - Oversoul of Dusk : Can win games simply by hitting the board early, but the heavy mana cost may not be worth the wait and the risk of counter. Has the added benefit of being green and white. (GW)[/sblock][/indent][/indent]

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Staples

- Garruk Wildspeaker : Survives most removal, can create an army on it's own, helps untap mana, and can make a game winning pump to your army the next turn. Card is very effective but may be vulnerable to Faeries and RDW. (GB)

- Profane Command : effective as removal, recovery from grave, hitting the dome, and sending an army with fear in for the win. A very good card for the deck of it's amazing tempo swing, but demands some mana consideration depending on the number you run. (GB)

() - Mercy Killing : A great card for combating spot removal and generating surprise attacks/blocks. The card is a house if you have any lords or a prepped planeswalker waiting the next turn. The card can be considered situational so running 4 may not be the best idea for all decks. (GW)

() - Shield of the Oversoul : Can be very tough for some decks to face if it lands and can sometimes spell "gg" right there. It is very synergetic with GW variants, but is vulnerable to bouncing and spot removal in response. You may not want to run too many. (GW)

- Crib Swap : Solid removal that has the added effect of RFGing the creature to prevent graveyard tactics or even get around regeneration and similar effects. However the 1/1 changeling they net can sometimes hurt your game against tribal decks and such. (GW)

- Loxodon Warhammer : Very effective with the tokens and getting past certain defenses. As good as it is though, th amount of removal in the format could have you wasting your turns attempting to equip it to something that will get to attack with it. (mono G, GW, GB)[/sblock][/indent][/indent]

[indent][indent][indent]Elves has a huge array of different paths to take and you'll find your own preferences, but for now there are certain strategies each color combination tends to follow by the general public.[/indent][/indent][/indent]

Green/White takes advantage of Shadowmoor's hybrid cards as they sit conveniently well in the deck and have the amazing lord, Wilt-Leaf Liege, to help stomp opponents to the ground at alarming speeds. This variant has the fattest creatures and utilizes a few anti-death strategies such as persist, indestructible, and a few creatures to save the others to ensure you have an overwhelming army come mid-game.

When you play this build, you're often going to attempt to over extend as your deck thrives on having the biggest guys for the cheapest cost before your opponent can set up a proper defense. So, the key is to figure out some strategies to help combat strategies aimed at over extended boards and dependence on certain creatures. Have enough anti-death effects but keep in mind you still need enough creatures to work with them while still keeping a healthy mana curve. This build generally doesn't like to wait for draw to be an option, it wants to establish solid threats and keep the opponent occupied. So figure out a way to not only fight spot removal and board wipes, but also keep the flow going or even make them waste the cards and still benefit from the counter strategy despite (EX: Mercy Killing a creature targeted for death while having a lord out, making your army even bigger and having them waste a card. This results in not just trading, but you actually double or tripled you attack power of that one unit, thus keeping the flow going in your favor without slowing down).

The deck is pretty intense on having colored mana, so make sure your lands and mana sources all produce at least green mana to avoid missing turns waiting for a 3rd one to come by.

Author's Note - In my build you'll notice I put in Kitchen Finks. Some regard this as more of a sideboard card, but I wanted it in for the simple fact that it had persist and was gold, the fact that it netted me life was just an extra bonus. GW tends to have to fight early removal in order to still have troops around when you get to finally dropping the lords, so persist as an awesome way to make your opponent waste answers furiously before you can.

Green/Black has been the best variant pre-Shadowmoor and unfortunately did not net much, if anything, from the new set. However it's still effective and could rise to what it was pre-Morning Tide in the meta shift.

This variant plays the typical array of green elves and taps into black for its powerful removal to remove any unwanted blockers or attacks. Like all the elf decks, your tying to amass an army of cheap fatties while dodging removal. The trick here is to not over extend too much and attempt to win the game off of token makers with a few beaters inbetween. Always predict the Wrath of God and have a back up plan for next turn such as Profane Command or another token generator. Masked Admirers can also help a lot if drawn with enduring counters and removal.

The deck takes on a theme of 2 (or more) for 1 cards. In other words, almost every card will do more than just trade, you'll be producing more bodies or removing enemies at the same time while also getting a body on the field. This constant tempo is the reason this deck is very hard to stop and puts a lot of decks on defense very quickly. The deck also forces opponents to deploy multiple strategies to fight you as your threats exist as planeswalkers, beaters, token makers, and life reducing sorceries.

Author's Note - You'll notice in mine I have an extra 2 Boreal Druid. Not a huge difference, but I find having a little extra accel can really pay off for getting an early Garruk Wildspeaker and other such key cards, but can also help Profane Command.

no, the pac master is better than nath, its not legendary, and it makes tokens a lot easier, with nath, they actualy have to have cards in hand, which, asuming ure opp is a decent mtg player, will play the cards so u dont make him discard it and get a token

Garruk is alot like Call of the Herd, exept easier to disrupt. However, he also leads to CA since you spend only 1 card for a token pumping machine.

We probaly don't need black, 4 Garruk in the MB/SB are a nightmare for control decks trying to control for wrath. That said, I like keeping black so I don't think we should drop it esp/ since eyblight ending kill 90% of the most problematical creatures in standard.

Goyf...I'm always torn on adding him in every green deck. As of now I'm stayign away, as I feel more aggressive elves benefiting from their tribal aspect will prove better than the lone goyf.

Garruk...with your wall of creatures...most decks wont be able to disrupt him once he lands...and your almost guaranteed a 3/3...

As of right now I'm can't decide between eyeblight and shriekmaw:

Eyeblight is instant and hits just about anything. But, I find sometimes that 2cc is better or hell having a body hit as well.

Also the deck DOES NOT focus too much on amassing tons of tokens. You'll find your self often sending in half your guys to die and getting a few points of damage...then replacing them. Your goal is to keep 3- 5 guys on the table at all times. The tokens just keep the deck flowing as you lose guys. It also enables you to swarm if you need to, or simply block.

Also most of your guys wont be just tokens, since often times you'll be holding your token generators back and 8 of your elves have death touch (so often they wont be block...or they're trading nicely anyways). So The elf enchant is VERY effective.

Also the deck DOES NOT focus too much on amassing tons of tokens. You'll find your self often sending in half your guys to die and getting a few points of damage....

Why would an aggressive deck only send half your guys?

So after you have spent a turn 2-3 to play or enchantment. Opponent wraths turn four, you get 2 1/1's. Doesnt seem to be that good. Better than without the enchantment, but at this point you'll likely have 2 damage in. SO you ride 1/1's the rest of the way? Pyroclams whipes you out.

If you want protection from wrath i would run a G/w with teeg in it(elf) This way you get access to more aggressive creautes.

Championing an elf for one. I use this all the time when I expect mass removal. The board clears and you back to beating still as you tuck that 3/3 to the side.

The admirers as well. They keep you constantly restocking your hand.

The way this deck aggros is by swinging with the death touchers and tokens. Your generators usually stay back. Also keep in mind the +1/+1 those tokens are probably getting. Also...the wolf tokens are GREAT beaters since they have death touch. It's kind of a mid range aggro deck. It keeps pressure on the opponent and is always sneaking it at least 3 dmg a turn until you tap the mall for the win.

I've been working on BG deck for some time now however it is very different than this one. With the results I've had I'm pretty impressed, but I went a very different route than you did. Personally I'm not a big fan of elf tokens and their generators. It is very dependent on Imperious prefect to generate tokens and seems incredibly fragile against Pyroclasm.

Also Mosswort Bridge is total garbage and should never be in a deck of any kind period.

I've been working on BG deck for some time now however it is very different than this one. With the results I've had I'm pretty impressed, but I went a very different route than you did. Personally I'm not a big fan of elf tokens and their generators. It is very dependent on Imperious prefect to generate tokens and seems incredibly fragile against Pyroclasm.

Also Mosswort Bridge is total garbage and should never be in a deck of any kind period.

Yeah..I'm realizing mosswort is a pile...it'll be removed.

The deck doesnt rely just on imperious. It can also stand with Wren's pack runner. Also the beaters are fairly decent. AND...the 1/1 tokens you get ( even if only 3 or 4) after a pyro or a wog can really be helpful. They usually wont have a board and its easy for your deck to rebuild. It's all about consistency. It's not perfected by any means, but the deck is showing some definite potential in it's main idea.

As the list is Essence Warden seems like it can be filled by something else, based on the problems people say this deck has...what would you suggest? Also...I just lost REALLY hard to UW control...ideas?

It may seem farfetched, but in the long game 3 Champions + Warden is a combo. Packmaster and Perfect bust be answered or the game is over. Archers and Vanquisher at least trade 1 for 1, and everything is a threat when equipped. Harbinger is perfect for finding a Champ, being championed, and getting its CIP effect when the champ dies to find another.

The deck doesnt rely just on imperious. It can also stand with Wren's pack runner. Also the beaters are fairly decent. AND...the 1/1 tokens you get ( even if only 3 or 4) after a pyro or a wog can really be helpful. They usually wont have a board and its easy for your deck to rebuild. It's all about consistency. It's not perfected by any means, but the deck is showing some definite potential in it's main idea.

As the list is Essence Warden seems like it can be filled by something else, based on the problems people say this deck has...what would you suggest? Also...I just lost REALLY hard to UW control...ideas?

Depending on if it was straigh u/w or RoL the answer will change. Eyes of the Wisent in the board is good. especially verse RoL. early discard like stupor can be game changing if you land it early.

I think the deck needs a little more early game pressure to make end game easier. Getting 6 dmg pre wrath is going to be hard vs controll. sudden death is good vs teferi and grip should stop any mesa issues. Maybe make it a snow base and add scrying sheets and mouth of ronum.

I would shy away from the warden if controll is giving u fits. maybe another 1 drop accel creature like boreal druid. then u can accel into a packmaster earlier.

The only harbringers that i find decent are the kithkin, elemental, and treefolk...the elf one is very slow and does not mesh well in the deck. The key to this deck is playing something mean every turn. The only slow moves you should play are the prowess's when it's convenient.

I'm not using goyf despite mentioning it for the G/B version because I can't guarentee very many card types hitting the graveyard in this deck. (With G/B elves a single Eyeblights ending will give the goyf +2+2 and probaly +1+1 since it should also knock a creature into the graveyard.)

Beatdown, cast Overrun or Garruk, then swing for game, simple, easy to use, and inexpensive.

I'm not using goyf despite mentioning it for the G/B version because I can't guarentee very many card types hitting the graveyard in this deck. (With G/B elves a single Eyeblights ending will give the goyf +2+2 and probaly +1+1 since it should also knock a creature into the graveyard.)

Beatdown, cast Overrun or Garruk, then swing for game, simple, easy to use, and inexpensive.

That decks even more vulnerable to wogs and pyroclasm than mine, though i argue mine isnt having any issues with them.

Also 4 over run seems mayeb a lil over board...i would probably do 3 guarruk, 2 over run. Garruk is just good on his own. Overrun needs an assload of creatures...most of which will be tapped in a quick kill scenario.

Yes, it is vunerable to WOG which is why there are 4 masked Admirers SB.

It isn't a better version of your deck, just a quick example of the MGA elves I was talking about.

3 Garruk is probaly better for this deck because it is a post wrath card engine.

Garruk is needed because it can help against wogs as well. The token generating ability is amazingly good. I dare to suggest maybe run 4! Also maybe serrated arrows for removal.

[EDIT] Well I immediately ran into my first fear: Inverted Haakon. He won...but in that build i had decided to put no lox hammers in. My next match was UW control...another major issue...but i had decided to mainboard 3 profane commands to give me a burn win.

It is very nice to have that smooth mana flow. So right now the only differences in my GB deck from the front page one is:

MB:
-3 prowess

+1 lox
+1 masked
+1 profane

SB:
-1 profane

+1 pithing

Prowess gone?!? and no Garruk to slip in place?!? Well...GB with it's shriekmaw and profane commands, generally can make enough CA on their own that this becomes a luxury slot...so I figured upping the count on key cards was more important for consistency.

I'm learning pithing needles can really help fight those control issue i was having. As for haakon, im pretty much hugging my extirpates right now, the 4 masked may help draw them easier too. But, most of all I'm learning profane IS VERY needed for getting around the creature lock up strategies. The struggle usually then becomes getting them to tap out to avoid the counter.

i think I'm very satisfied with the MB I have posted now...now i need to fine tune that sideboard.

Masked Admirers works great and really exceeds expectations. He's need to fight mass removal and counters!

Loxodon Hammer is really winning me games where I would've been losing had I still had them as essence wardens.

And just to go over the critics who think this still loses to wog and pyro we have all these cards to fight it:

Masked Admirers: cantrips and reoccurs.Prowess of the Fair: those few tokens DO matter especailly when you got 2 or 3 of these out and a loxhammer OR Imperious Perfect.Wren's Run Packmaster: Hide's away a creature to come into play after the wipe. Treetop Village: Always a nice beater after a tapped out board wipe and a nice lox hammer to grab on to.

Point is, this deck generates card advantage like crazy and they'll find themselves needing many board wipes to finally rid the board of your control.

Boreal Druids would probable be a must in this deck, since it seems very important to have 3 mana in your 2nd turn. Nevertheless...
Yesterday I played with a friend who has another idea for "new" deck. This was a BW control with 20 removals including 6 Wog effects, condemns, terrors, tendrils of corruption and oblivion rings. This was a complete no-no for the elves. If I landed something for longer I had to deal with Liliana and Ajani, and Korlash with Dread and Purity were waiting for the kill. (He also got Demonic Tutors to get what he needs). Of course I sided in Prowess of the Fair for Sudden Spoiling, then I lacked removals for the big ones. I lost 4-2 having pure luck in the last two games.

I appreciate comments and explaining my errors, because right now I feel this deck sucks, and there is once again a control that can deal with the aggro. (Note that Gaddock Teeg is nothing against my friends control, as it gets wiped out with 2cc's and 3cc's easily).

Boreal Druids would probable be a must in this deck, since it seems very important to have 3 mana in your 2nd turn. Nevertheless...
Yesterday I played with a friend who has another idea for "new" deck. This was a BW control with 20 removals including 6 Wog effects, condemns, terrors, tendrils of corruption and oblivion rings. This was a complete no-no for the elves. If I landed something for longer I had to deal with Liliana and Ajani, and Korlash with Dread and Purity were waiting for the kill. (He also got Demonic Tutors to get what he needs). Of course I sided in Prowess of the Fair for Sudden Spoiling, then I lacked removals for the big ones. I lost 4-2 having pure luck in the last two games.

I appreciate comments and explaining my errors, because right now I feel this deck sucks, and there is once again a control that can deal with the aggro. (Note that Gaddock Teeg is nothing against my friends control, as it gets wiped out with 2cc's and 3cc's easily).

First off...I'm not comfortable with the mana curve and only 20 land...22 at least.

Also harbringer is WAY toooo slow.

Immaculate Magistrate seems lik a card that would be dealt with the second it touched play...dunno. I feel it's too unreliable.

I'm not understanding sudden spoiling...at all? Easily rip that out for something else.

Also no too sure about Harmonize. I feel it's key to constantly be playing creatures...you don't fair well in late game.

I suggest looking at my build, you should find a lot of answers to surviving those kinds of control decks.

Thanks for your comments, I will certainly check out your build. I am not very experienced player yet I feel it hard to agree that Sudden Spoiling is bad in such deck. This is devastation in aggro vs aggro match while attacking or defending.

Thanks for your comments, I will certainly check out your build. I am not very experienced player yet I feel it hard to agree that Sudden Spoiling is bad in such deck. This is devastation in aggro vs aggro match while attacking or defending.

It can be good in theory, but it's very situational. For one...it has to be verse an aggro match up to really shine. Two...they have to block and not predict the move (especially after you show the trick once). Three...you need an army FIRST to use it. The slot can be better used. However if you MUST...run 2 - 3 as it's is a power move card, but wont be able to be effective every time you draw one. Generally you just need one to go off for the game to be over for the opponent

This deck usually plays meaner aggro creatures than most aggro can deal with. It can also out last it. Your only fear is them getting some good beaters like goyf and perfect burns/removal spells along the way.

since this is more of midrange control, i suggest adding more than masked admirers for card draw. its just too mana intensive. i would sooner be losing life with black card draws than tapping out or close to it to draw a single card. either that or run harmonize. midrange control always needs CA. drawing a card each or not even doesn't equal CA.

since this is more of midrange control, i suggest adding more than masked admirers for card draw. its just too mana intensive. i would sooner be losing life with black card draws than tapping out or close to it to draw a single card. either that or run harmonize. midrange control always needs CA. drawing a card each or not even doesn't equal CA.

what about Mind stone? for mana accel plus card draw? I relaize its not CA, but alot of other mid-ranged decks run it seems like it could be good in here.

As a beat down deck This thing needs to play as many bodies as it can. Masked admirers is good for the following reasons:

4cc is harsh...but it cantrips...with a 3/2 body (not a bad suicide blocker/attacker)

It's an elf so it can pump.

Not only do you net a card but think of the CA here: he dies (fairly often), you play a llanowar elf and tap for 2 more to retrieve him...you already cantripped a llanowar elf! Then you get to play masked admirers AGAIN for another cantrip with a body! it's a 3 to 1. And it's not slow enough not to play. In this deck you'll often find your self playing him turn 6 and up and is meant to keep up pace.

Also this is by no means a mid range CONTROL. It's beatdown. Lots of angry creatures constantly tapping at your opponents face as they struggle to keep control. Prowess also helps replace guys that get blocked as well, not just pro wrat hand removal. It's also key to surviving red decks and other aggro.

ya really gotta test him, I completely looked him over when building this deck. Only when tweeking it did I realize he had a decent space to fill.

I would switch out Nameless Inversion for something else. I may be an elf, but Terror would be much better. If you are bent on having an Elf there Elvish Champion wouldn't be a bad card to test. Although, I would have 2 Garruk Wildspeakers in here because you can get out more elevs (or wolves) with the acceleration and supply Beasts and Overruns as needed.

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